Catch as Chat Can
by Overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: Chat might finally be cat-ching on.
1. Chapter 1

The thing about being a superhero was that you got so used to saving the day, that it grew to be second nature. You just did it. You didn't stop to think about the best time and place. It was pure, involuntary reaction.

It was as if by sheer virtue of spending nearly a quarter of day with heightened senses and a suit that kept him safe from nearly every harm that Adrien started to grow reckless in the rest of his waking hours. Like the freedom and personality he let loose behind that mask slowly started to trickle through.

To be perfectly honest, he hadn't really noticed it at first.

It was the little things. Catching something-a watch, perhaps?-falling out of the corner of his eye and snagging it out of the air before it hit the ground here. Catching a glass knocked off the table there. Snatching a whole bundle of papers out of mid-air before they had fallen, scattered to the floor.

It had almost become a game for him. A challenge to himself to keep the bright and pleasant world of school and friends around him upright to buffer the drudgery of his otherwise overly packed schedule. To keep his superhero skills sharp, to keep his friends safe and happy.

He didn't want things to get broken. He didn't want to see his friends hurt or sad. Not if he could actually help it. And Plagg knew, he was certainly capable. His instincts had been finely honed by the near daily extensive training he got beneath the mask.

But somewhere along the way, he ended up catching friend whenever they might trip.

And really, who knew someone could trip so often?

Sure, there had been once or twice where Chloe had actively tripped Marinette, acting on some version of jealousy. It was unfortunate and small of her, but Marinette was quick to turn around and call her on it. Now, Chloe had mostly ignored her as much as possible. He could only hope Chloe had learned some sort of lesson and grown from the bad experience.

Nearly as often, Marinette managed to trip over nothing at all. He had been actually kind of amazed that she didn't end up just covered in scrapes and bruises and limping all over the school grounds.

Her clumsiness had occurred to him as equal parts endearing and awkward. It seemed so at odds with the fact that she was actually otherwise quite capable and determined to conquer everything she put her mind to.

He hadn't remembered the first day that he happened to be walking out in the hallways, close to where she would inevitably start to fall. He didn't recall the conversation that he and Nino had been having as they walked back from lunch.

He didn't really recall catching a glimpse of her tumble starting, nor did he recall holding out his arms and half catching her mid-fall.

"Are you alright?"

No. His recollection started with the cherry red blush staining her cheeks, with her impossibly wide, too blue eyes. And with the words that tumbled carelessly from her lips.

"F-fine. I'm okay." She blinked, breaking her gaze from his. Righting herself and pulling out of his arms, an embarrassed blush burned to the tips of her ears.

He had smiled softly at that. Marinette really was rather adorable.

"I'm just madly clumsy."

Adrien knew what falling felt like. He had plummeted through the air at breakneck speeds on more than one occasion. And when he had lost the means to save himself, his lady had come to the rescue with a smile.

A smile that looked suspiciously like the one currently plastered on his friend's face.

"C'mon, girl. We're going to be late."

He stared dumbstruck as she let Alta tug her away down the hall. As Alya looked back at him, a suspicious smile curving her lips.

He exhaled. There would be time for him to worry about Alya later.

Madly clumsy.

Those words were indelibly etched into his memory, even though he hadn't heard them in some time.

He hadn't heard them from her.

At least, he didn't think so.

Madly clumsy.

Ladybug was only outright clumsy on those first days, when he too was still getting his footing. Getting tossed around by Akuma didn't really count.

What were the odds that his amazing partner who had captured his heart long ago was one in the same with his amazing friend?

With his luck, it hadn't seemed likely. But perhaps if Ladybug's own luck was in the mix as well…

He felt his legs give out from under him, crashing him back to the reality of the ground.

"Bro?" Nino had extended his hand, pulling him back up onto still shaky legs. "You doing alright there? I'm not really fast enough to catch you."

He heard Plagg chuckling from the bag and rushed to cover it with his own self-deprecating chuckle.

Adrien didn't retain much from that day's lesson at school. He was far more focused on the possibility.

Ladybug had been nothing if not adamant about them keep their identities hidden, so wasn't it better to leave it as it was? To leave the little bit of mystery, that little bit of uncertainty. He could never really say he knew for sure because he isn't certain. Not 100%.

Now, he couldn't fight the instinct to linger a bit longer near Marinette.

To watch those all-too-similar pigtails bounce before his eyes, just as he had seen while spending hours upon hours chasing on Ladybug's heels across the rooftops of Paris.

To wait for that moment in case she should fall.

To savor the moment in holding her up for that extra second or two longer than necessary getting lost in those half shade different eyes, the freckles dotting her nose. To imagine that pretty pink blush that washed over Marinette's cheeks might actually be hiding behind Ladybug's red and black spotted mask.

To hope that the darkness and the distance might be hiding even more elusive hints to confirm that his partner and his friend were in fact one in the same.

He hadn't gone looking for her, but he might just have found her after all.

And now he had the means to prove it to himself-by any means necessary.

* * *

Author's Notes:

All standard disclaimers apply.

What? Another work. My April Fool's joke this year is really on myself.

This idea got stuck in my head last night, and I had to hammer it out to be satisfied and distract myself from REAL LIFE (TM). I still need a beta reader to pass over it, so all errors right now are totally my own and making the bad decisions of staying up too late to write this.

If there is any interest, I'm thinking about doing at least one more drabble in this series for whenever I inevitably get stuck on one of my WIP projects.

Feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, as it really does help me to improve my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

Alya had every intention of being an amazing journalist. It was a job that took listening carefully, observing closely, and following a gut instinct with extreme prejudice. It was a job she'd spent nearly every spare waking moment improving her skills in her search for details for her blog.

When it came to Paris's resident heroes, she had her finger on the pulse of the clues. She was far more adept on social media than much of the news media. She followed trends. She made heat maps of the attack locations. She did her homework and had more than a little bit of luck in living in the same part of the city where many of the attacks seemed to occur. She made it her business to be in the right place at the right time.

And she had been justifiably rewarded with better scoops and better footage than even the major outlets who had money and people to burn scrambling for coverage.

She wasn't truly sure what journalistic avenue she'd actually enjoy as a career later on in life, but she intended to be prepared. Maybe she couldn't unmask the heroes, but she could consistently prove her mettle and build up a resume online to prove her journalistic endeavors.

What she hadn't expected was for those same instincts to stay just as sharp in her day to day life.

* * *

Her seat in class was excellent. She was perfectly positioned to catch all those still shy, secret little glances that Nino shot back at her. She could easily monitor and throttle back her best friend's often borderline obsessive habit of drooling and daydreaming over her crush.

And she got it. Adrien was cute. He was a genuinely nice guy.

But he was also just spectacularly dense, especially when it came to girls. From time to time, Alya had wondered if that was just selective, or if it was just the socialization failure of his parent's decision to homeschool him for quite so long.

Alya loved Marinette, really she did. She understood what it was like to be kind of swept off her feet. But lovely as that whirlwind was, it wasn't sustainable. Not for very long.

Her Mother had set her down at a very young age and discussed-at length-the highs and lows, the risks and rewards. She hea learned the cautionary tales of friends and family members.

Most importantly, her mother had explained that the coming tide of hormones were just the beginning. You could either fight the waves or ride on top of them. It was much easier to enjoy the ride if you went with the flow.

At the time, she had scoffed, until her own hormones started to hit. Mom was at least partially right, but she wasn't about to tell her that. She could do her own research. She could approach with her own level of caution.

Poor Marinette seemed dead set on fighting the current, even when everyone (Nino included) kept offering to pull her up onto the raft. No one else but Adrien was quite that dense. Even Kim could put two and two together here.

Marinette mind wind up hurt if she couldn't do better about keeping her head around the model boy. It was crazy. Alya knew that Marinette's Mom was cool. Surely, she had sat her down and had a similar conversation. Alya couldn't stand the thought of seeing Marinette get hurt.

If Marinette could just talk to Adrien like she did with everyone else in the class, he would have the opportunity to find out just how much they had in common. Alya had had enough conversations with Nino to be reasonably sure they would both be fast and fiercely protective friends.

If nothing else.

She sighed. Nino was a friend, certainly. A sweetheart, mostly when he didn't try to re-write her work without input (and no, she wasn't going to let that one go, thank you very much). But at least he did understand now when a kiss was or was not necessary to drive the plot forward. At least they could talk on a level playing field most of the time. At least she could enjoy that flutter of butterflies in her stomach whenever she felt nervous and be brave enough to tell him-and delight in the dark blush that would settle into his own cheeks.

Was it too much to hope for that Marinette could have that same sort of thing for herself?

* * *

Alya had worried for months without much sign of Marinette slowing down. Marinette still continued to occasionally trip over her own words around him, but at least now she could manage full sentences that were mostly coherent.

It was only then that the most unexpected-and most interesting-perk of sitting where she did came into play. She also got the best view of Adrien, whenever he glanced back to their bench. He would steal a glance back, particularly whenever Marinette was being praised or was otherwise busy with notes (or naps, depending on the day). Or whenever he chatted with Nino. It was something that was occurring with increasing and encouraging frequency. Enough so, to give her a lot of hope for Marinette and her seemingly hopeless crush.

Clearly, he thought he was being subtle. Alya was pretty sure that he really didn't understand the meaning of the word. The boy was just lucky that his grades were good enough that the teachers tended not to call him out on it.

Alya grinned. She had pushed and pushed, but aside from the one spectacularly failed attempt on the same day the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue had been unveiled, Marinette never really took initiative in trying to ask Adrien out, even just as friends. But maybe, just maybe Adrien might beat her to the punch.

She templed her fingers. Her instincts were screaming that the time would come. She just had to wait and watch.

* * *

Of course, Alya forgot that she totally hated waiting. By the time she was tempted to start smacking her head onto the desk, Adrien started to do something really interesting: He started to catch things.

It was like these crazy reflexes had just appeared out of nowhere. Like he had nothing better to do with all his time spent sequestered in his father's mansion than to sit and practice throwing things just out of reach and catching them. Maybe it was some sort of crazy training with all the equipment Nino swore that the guy had in his room. Alya had her doubts. Who actually had a rock wall in their room? Besides, she saw that crazy calendar Marinette had pulled together. When on Earth would he have had the spare time?

Beside, surely his father -or the ruthlessly efficient secretary-would have put a stop to anything that might "damage the merchandise". Photography wasn't really her area of expertise, but she didn't think that bruises would mask particularly well in photoshoots.

When she tried to ask Adrien about it, he immediately clammed up. He had tried to brush it off as some sort of special fencing exercise to help improve his reach.

She might have bought it, except for the fact that he pointedly avoided her eyes when answering. Sunshine had a very obvious tell.

It was cute that he actually thought he was hiding it well.

* * *

It had been fascinating to watch Adrien watch as Marinette actually trip in air. She had caught herself by gripping onto the railing for dear life before she fell too far - really she was surprisingly adept at doing so.

But Adrien had definitely reached out to catch her.

He looked shocked, although the why of the matter was a little less clear. That she had fallen? Well, really that couldn't have been a surprise unless he had been sleeping with his eyes open all year. That she caught herself? That he hadn't gotten there fast enough?

The funny thing that all of those possible questions had in common was that he was clearly watching Marinette.

Marinette had done her usual, tripping over her words and holding tight to the stairs to ensure she didn't fall again.

Alya had followed his eyes to Marinette's tight grip on the stair rail.

Her brows arched skyward. One thing was certain at least: he was watching enough to worried about her.

* * *

It didn't hurt that she shipped it quite a lot. It wasn't just convenient as she was dating Adrien's best friend. But Marinette would be over the moon, and there was little more than Alya wanted than to see her best friend be so happy.

After a few more days of limited progress from Marinette, more watching from Adrien, and at least one more missed catch on Adrien's part (to be fair, he was several desks away), Alya was about ready to pull her hair out.

Nino won all the good boyfriend points for the day. He knew exactly what was bugging her. It was amazing how effective communication made these simple things go more smoothly.

Honestly, it had been bugging Nino, too. He was way more subtle and chill about it. The model was totally tight lipped about it.

Her instinct was telling her to make this happen Her frustration was telling her to make this happen now. It was just the little, subtle push that they both might need to actually get them talking. Like normal people did.

It hadn't taken much effort on her part to coerce Nino into walking along behind them with Adrien at his side. Nino would keep him about two steps back as they walked down the hall, so there was actually a chance to catch Marinette if she did fall. Even Nino agreed that he could pull that off without any real risk for Marinette falling and getting really hurt.

She caught Nino's eyes and he nodded subtly.

Alya leaned over to her friend to whisper. "He has been watching you, you know?"

Marinette turned pale. "Who?"

Alya grinned. "Who do you think?"

Marinette's brows winged up for only a moment, before her feet tangled together, pulling her down with the gravity of the implication.

Just as she and Nino had suspected, her friend hadn't hit the floor but rather against the model's surprisingly solid chest.

Alya winced. She wasn't used to catching anyone larger than her younger siblings, but with a little momentum, that actually hurt.

Adrien didn't even look fazed by the thud against his chest, although it was clear he was a bit worried. "Are you alright?"

Outside of the brilliant blush on her face, Marinette looked like she would survive no worse for the wear. "F-fine. I'm okay."

He had smiled softly at that.

At least he did until Marinette sputtered. "I'm just madly clumsy."

Then, he blinked. His lips parted to draw in a hasty breath, his eyes growing wide.

Those words shouldn't have been anything more than a call to ruffle Marinette's hair and earn one of her adorable pouts before they all continued on to class. Alya moved quickly, tugging Marinette along towards the classroom.

At a safe enough distance, she leaned over again. "I told you he was watching."

There was clever little grin that literally brightened Marinette's face. She was barely containing a squeal at the thought. "He was, wasn't he?"

Alya looked back in amusement. If the growing blush on Adrien's cheeks was any indication, he seemed pleasantly surprised.

She sighed. She'd get the whole of the story out of Nino later.

For now, she'd focus on getting Marinette back to Earth to listen to the lesson.

And then she would watch them both and wait.

For now.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

You all are amazing. Thank you so much for all the lovely feedback. There has been such a huge, positive response that my muse insisted on another late night.

Alya's chapter definitely got quite a bit longer than I expected.

Still not beta-ed, so there may be tiny errors. I'll re-read and edit again later when my brain is not fried from editing.

I may have actually plotted out like 6 total drabble chapters-maybe a 7th to tie everything up in the end. I think I have problems.

The speed will definitely slow down here for me as real life is about to get very, very real.


	3. Chapter 3

Her legs had buckled out from her under her and Alya was already two steps ahead, well out of her flailing reach.

She expected to hit the ground.

She wasn't exactly a stranger to pain. Or falling.

Or tripping over her own two feet.

"He has been watching you, you know?" Alya had said.

And of course he had to be watching while she did this.

Marinette winced, bracing slightly against pain that was sure to come.

She was truly, thoroughly hopeless.

Huh? The ground wasn't usually so soft. Or so warm.

"Are you alright?"

Marinette looked up, meeting ocean green eyes. She bit her lip to keep from whimpering aloud.

Actual Angel Adrien Agreste. There were dozens of his posters on her wall, but literally had nothing on the real thing, looking down at her, eyebrows drawn together in concern. He was upside down, sure.

Wait. Why would he be upside down? She leaned back slightly, noting only the barest give as the mental pieces starting to fall into place.

Had Adrien actually...caught her? Her eyes widened as she realized that she must she was still laying against his chest.

"F-fine. I'm okay." She blinked, breaking her gaze from his. Righting herself and pulling out of his arms, an embarrassed blush burned to the tips of her ears.

Her gaze darted away as she offered a weary half smile. "I'm just madly clumsy."

Alya appeared at her shoulder, suddenly to the rescue. "C'mon, girl. We're going to be late."

Marinette allowed herself to be tugged away, her heart still thrumming with excitement.

"I told you he was watching."

"He was, wasn't he?"

* * *

The last Akuma - and the last night's homework - kept her up far later than she intended, but she would make it to class just in time if she rushed.

It wasn't long before she had tumbled again, tripping up the steps just beside Adrien's desk as she raced into class late.

His arm reached out, catching just below her collarbone. It wasn't graceful, but it was quick enough to keep her from bashing face first against the steps.

Her breath caught as she opened her eyes, bare inches away from the wood. Her school bag scattered books all over the floor, and the purse that held Tikki swinging to slow stop at her side.

She gulped, lifting her eyes to meet his. He was no longer seated in his chair, but crouching down on the floor. His eyebrows raised, tacitly seeking confirmation that she was alright.

Mutely, she nodded.

How had he managed to catch her so quickly?

"Ugh. How clumsy are you?" Chloe scorn echoed through the otherwise silent classroom.

Marinette pulled away from Adrien guiltily, dropping to her knees to gather the scattered books. Looking back over her shoulder at the blonde, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"How is it that you manage to trip so often? Do you really think Adrikins wants to keep catching you?"

Marinette flinched. He hadn't seemed to mind, but maybe she misreading the situation after all? She registered half a snort from Alya, who was helping to gather her pens that the flown a bit further out of reach.

Adrien frowned. "Chloe..."

"What? It's like I keep saying, Adrikins." Chloe examined her nails. "If you are too nice to people, they'll keep expecting you to be that way all the time."

Miss Bustier raised a brow. "IT would be nice if we could all get to our seats so I could begin today's lesson.

Marinette bit her lip, as she sat down. She stared at the back of Adrien's head anxiously.

What if Chloe was right?

* * *

She was even more cautious than usual for the next few weeks. Except when an Akuma was in play, she was careful to walk slowly and as gracefully as she could manage.

And when she couldn't manage to be graceful, she started to avoid where she knew Adrien might be.

She certainly knew his schedule well enough.

They were in the library one afternoon when Alya cornered her about it. "You can't avoid him forever, you know?"

Marinette winced, her eyes darting toward the librarian's desk. She whispered as softly as she could manage. "But it isn't fair to him-"

Alya narrowed her eyes, settling her closer hand on Marinette's shoulder with a soft squeeze. "Did you ask him to keep catching you?"

She blinked. "Of course not."

Alya smiled. "See? Then don't worry about it."

Marinette sighed, and Alya ruffled her bangs playfully, shaking her head in mild exasperation. "Look. I'll take this stack, and you take that one back, and I'll even spring for ice cream before we both head home."

Nodding dutifully, she took her own pile of books off to re-shelve and headed around the other row of shelves. Bumping right into Adrien.

She silently cursed Alya for that split second before Adrien steadied her, and then knocked her off balance again with his smile.

"We've got to stop meeting like this." The edges of his lips chased up into a smirk.

Torn between the temptation to roll her eyes and letting loose the wave of mirth that was bubbling to the surface, she ended up doing a little bit of both.

* * *

It was kind of a heady feeling.

For so long, Adrien had seemed so totally beyond her. Far sweeter, far more genuine. Far too handsome for his own good, and amazingly not having a totally huge ego about it.

But it was more than that. There was something familiar that she just couldn't place.

It felt like home.

Was it the fact that he just couldn't seem to let her fall.

And maybe, that was actually what felt so familiar.

It reminded her a little of Chat Noir.

Sure her partner could be a little annoying with the jokes and the flirtation. He was just so over the top it bordered on the absurd. She couldn't laugh in front of him, or he would only escalate. And usually only at the least opportune times.

But when everything was on the line, and it so frequently was, there was no one else she'd rather have at her back.

Okay. Maybe also Adrien now, too. But in a purely civilian capacity.

She didn't want him anywhere near the dangers she fought. Her suit and her connection to Tikki kept her protected. Even Chat had taken hits for her and she hated that thought. It only made her fight that much harder to bring him back to her.

Just contemplating him in a situation with that much risk was sure to give her nightmares. Hawkmoth didn't need the help in finding her weak spot.

* * *

She raced her way down the steps from the roof access and toward her next class. Teachers were only slightly less forgiving than Akuma when it came to punctuality, and her double life made both of those a significant challenge.

She didn't expect to go racing into him. Where on Earth had he been coming from, anyways?

Besides, she could swear the floor had looked clear when she put her foot down on the step.

It was only slightly less jarring this time, when his eyes locked with hers. The momentum that had propelled her forward was halted much closer to his face this time, leaving her breathless and wide-eyed while he slowly set her down on the even floor.

Adrien...was surprisingly strong.

All her time spent leaping and yo-yoing her way across the rooftops as Ladybug had left her with a fair amount of muscle. She wasn't exactly light...at least not as light as she must appear to be.

With unmasked fascination, her hands brushed against his arms. Both arms.

Adrien...was surprisingly strong. In all of his pictures, he appeared to be really slender to get the lines just right, so clearly he couldn't have had more than the barest bit of fat on him.

Marinette slammed her eyes shut. She could practically hear Tikki chiding her now. Marinette, this will not help you be calm around him.

"I...umm. Sorry." She murmured, whisking her hands back. But her eyes still remained locked on his arms.

He nodded, kind of quietly murmuring back. "It's okay."

It was just kind of...weird. Adrien was doing fencing, right? Wouldn't it make sense if his main sword arm was way stronger than the other?

She tried not to think about it too hard, even when Alya definitely made her feeling up his arms a whole discussion. And wouldn't let it go for days...

Eventually, she was pretty successful in putting it out of her mind.

At least until the next time she was caught.

Or the next.

* * *

The time after that, though, it was Chat Noir.

He must have been on patrol over the rooftops nearby and saw her out, vaulting towards her roof to say hello.

It was hard to saw exactly whose bad luck was more responsible, but she careening into him much in the same way she'd fallen into Adrien earlier that week.

Her hands apparently had minds of their own, tracing the same approximate path to release her death grip on his biceps.

She frowned, unable to quiet her eye and memory for details, especially once she had locked onto it.

That familiar feeling really hadn't gone away.

"You alright, Princess?"

Her eyes snapped up to him, masked though the were. The height, the angles. All of it felt so similar.

The preponderance of evidence was building in her mind. And she wasn't sure just how much she liked the conclusion she was fast coming to.

Her hands dropped from his arms as if they were suddenly scalding.

Alya would have a field day. If she could ever tell her friend about this.

Okay, Tikki would have field day when they discussed this later.

That much would be assured.

"It is a possibility, Marinette." Tikki hovered over her pillow beside her head. "A very real one considering all the pieces we know of Chat Noir."

Marinette tugged her other pillow over her head. "That's what I am afraid of. How on earth would I deal with Chat if he truly is Adrien?"

Tikki frowned. "Why on earth would that change how you act with Chat?"

Marinette blinked, fidgeting under the surprisingly heavy weight of Tikki's judgement. "But if Adrien is Chat-"

"You know Chat far better than you know Adrien. For all that you have a crush on your classmate, you barely have talked to him. Not a real conversation anyways. You know what activities he does and what he looks like, sure. But you've said yourself that much of that could come from the fashion magazines you pulled the pictures on your wall from."

She grew defensive. "I know he is kind, even to Chloe. I know his father isn't around all that much."

Tikki nodded. "And haven't we seen Chat Noir treat Chloe surprisingly well, even when she gets a bit obnoxious? We don't exactly know what Chat's family is like, but he is easily able to sneak away for patrol and superhero duties. You can do it because your parents have a business to run. Did you ever allow yourself to wonder why Chat might have that ability as well?"

Marinette gathered her pillow into her arms, nuzzling her head back into the white cat pillow behind her with a sigh. "I didn't think about it, Tikki. With everything about keeping our identities hidden..."

Tikki exhaled, patting her charge's head. "Then maybe it is time we start, isn't it?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

Real life is a bit rough at the moment, so I'm really doing this as distraction right now.

This is still not beta-ed so there might be errors here or there until I get a chance to read it with fresh eyes tomorrow.

Thank you all for your very kind feedback and support. It truly does mean a lot to me. 3

This chapter was edited to add a few scenes to address a pacing issue brought up the commenters (particularly DanDanDanTrain). Thank you so much for your well thought out input!


	4. Chapter 4

From the moment they both had walked out of the panther's cage, life had become so much more predictable-but no less entertaining.

Alya had made certain of that. Not that the unending stream of akumatized victims let allowed things to stay very quiet.

There were many things Nino expected to happen when he agreed to Alya's plan. From the moment Alya peered back at him, he lingered back to the wall, watching the scene unfold as if he himself was directing it.

He expected Marinette to trip. He wasn't sure what Alya had in mind to tell her, but knowing Alya, it was sure to be effective.

He expected his best bud would swoop in to the rescue.

Whatever crazy new video game his father had bought for him in place of being a better parent had done a real number on Adrien's reflexes. Besides, the guy was way too nice to let anyone fall.

He expected Marinette to turn twenty shades of red, stutter an apology, and race to the classroom.

All with Adrien none the wiser of just why she was blushing.

Nino sighed, watching as everything came to play as he'd predicted. He could almost have scripted this.

For all the movies, anime, and TV that Adrien had clearly watched to fill the social void left by his parent's decision to have him home schooled, it was somehow jarring that Marinette's reaction definitely confounded him. There were definitely girls in all of those shows.

Maybe it was his experience with all his crazy fangirls that made him not understand the more subtle reactions people could have. Maybe it was Chloe and her tendency to hang off him possessively.

Alya dragged Marinette off to the classroom, as Adrien stared after them both with the oddest expression on his face.

What Nino hadn't counted on was the fact that Adrien must have finally figured it out. Why else would have best friend have dropped dramatically to the floor as if his legs just gave out suddenly? Why else would his eyes be ridiculously wide, gaping as he stared down the hallway after Marinette?

"Bro?" Nino had extended his hand willing himself not to chuckle aloud. "You doing alright there?"

Adrien blinked, still stunned for a few moments before taking the hand up and chuckling at his own absurdity. "I think I will be."

Adrien shook his head dolefully. He grabbed his bag from where it had fallen to the ground and dusted off his pants, snapping his professional model smile into place.

Nino sighed, wishing he was half the actor his friend could manage to be.

He wondered how he could possibly manage to keep Alya from finding out that Adrien not only had finally caught a clue, but that he was actually - literally - floored by it.

Clearly, Adrien was currently trying to play it off. Maybe he just needed to come to terms with it. Or maybe, romantic that he was, he wanted some much better atmosphere than a school hallway

Whatever the reason, his best friend was depending on him to keep it quiet.

At least, for as long as he could managed to keep it from Alya.

* * *

Nino had gotten lucky that first day. Alya was satisfied enough with the news at Adrien had watched Marinette all the way down to the classroom that she hadn't interrogated him further.

He should have been able to breathe easy, just waiting for Adrien to take a bit of initiative and just talk to Marinette. Not so long ago, he had said all it took was confidence.

Adrien had that to spare.

It must be the model in him...and all that nonsense.

But from that point on, it had seemed like Adrien was forever in Marinette's immediate orbit, watching her. Waiting.

But aside from making sure their class president stayed safe (and upright), he wasn't talking to her. Not really in any ways that mattered.

"He keeps watching her." Alya murmured, feigning nonchalance while she had him locked in her sharp-eyed gaze.

Nino back stiffened, biting his lip to keep from swearing aloud.

It was like Adrien was trying to get him killed.

He had only managed to catch Marinette once more before Alya was scrutinizing him far more closely, and demanding all the details he could muster.

Twice apparently was still a fluke.

But the third time? The third time made a genuine trend.

Nino sighed. He had to give her something. "I know."

"And keeping her from falling."

"Uh huh." Nino turned his eyes forward, focusing on the street and dodging the flow of pedestrians.

He could practically hear Alya raising an eyebrow. "You noticed?"

"You think I'm blind?" Nino dodged. He fiddled with the rim of his hat, hoping she wouldn't recognize it for the distraction attempt it was. "Of course, I noticed. I just don't want to push him, you know? He's actually getting there on his own. In spite of my offer to play wingman for your girl, I never even had to tell him how amazing Marinette is. He got that all on his own."

Alya planted herself right in his path, tugging him off to the side. "Then why isn't he moving forward here?"

"Honestly? I dunno." Nino crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. Luckily for him, this was already something on his mind since the day Adrien's reaction had surprised him. "All I can figure is that something is holding him back. Maybe it's his Dad. Maybe his crazy schedule. Maybe he doesn't want a real girlfriend dealing with his crazy fans."

"Huh." Alya deflated quickly, still pouting slightly. "That...actually makes sense. I thought you were just brushing me off."

Nino bumped his shoulder to hers affectionately. "Nah. I've been puzzling him out. And. I didn't really know anything certain to tell you. And after that whole thing with Chloe last year…"

He trailed off, as her widening smile brightened her whole face.

Alya drew him into her arms, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. With a whispered, "Thank you," she grabbed his hand, tugging him along until he walked beside her.

It took his brain a few minutes to catch up.

Alya was a veritable force of nature.

Thankfully, she was on his side.

* * *

Adrien always did have a thing for drama.

When he dove out of his chair to keep Marinette from diving headfirst into the stairs, it wasn't surprising. It was a good thing he'd done it - a good thing he actually could manage to pull it off - because Marinette really had been moving fast.

She really was lucky that she hadn't gotten hurt. They were all lucky that Adrien figured out how to cushion her fall so quickly and so completely, without causing himself too much pain.

Alya was already helping to pick up Marinette's things.

But he couldn't move. The fact that Adrien wasn't talking didn't bode well. It was like he was barely keeping himself together.

He still hadn't moved to release her until Chloe's sharp words had broken the silence.

Chloe started to berate her, when she explicitly stated that Marinette was inconveniencing Adrien, she actually look like she had been struck.

Adrien hadn't had much time to regain his bearings and refute Chloe's words before the lesson was started.

Nino winced, as Adrien dropped heavily back into the seat beside him.

He was worried.

Adrien clearly wasn't focused on the lesson but on the girl in the seat behind him. Not that his best bud had any way to subtly turn around with Miss Bustier noticing.

But he could.

From the look in Alya's eyes and Marinette's downcast expression, the damage from Chloe's words was already done.

Chloe's self satisfied grin and the speculative glances she kept shooting at Adrien only gave him cause to think that there was even more trouble brewing.

Nino sighed.

He really should have expected it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I'm probably going to need at least a few more chapters than I originally thought to do this properly...so yay?

Thank you all so very much for your support. I truly am floored by the level of response this work has gotten. Your comments have really kept me motivated to finish this one off as quickly as I can manage. :)

I will be on travel this next week with a somewhat spotty internet connection and an ailing relative, so I may not be very quick to respond to comments or questions. I will either be writing like a madwoman...or brainstorming and hoping to find time to write like a madwoman.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien sighed, slumping down into the car seat and watched the familiar array of buildings and streets rush past as the headed into school from his early morning photo shoot.

He hadn't quite expected this endeavor to be such a challenge. But that was the funny thing about proof. It took so little to earn the suspicion, but proof itself, was far trickier.

He was definitely starting to notice his feelings for Marinette were all to similar to those he had for his Lady. Marinette's awkward stumbling over her words was just as endearing (if a bit confusing) as her standing up for everyone else. Her endless concern for others, her solid sense of right and wrong, her intolerance of lies.

Ladybug wasn't perfect, but who was really. And even if she were, would she truly ever need him as a partner?

Ladybug was all boundless confidence, except in those earliest days. Perhaps she had just been finding her footing, just as they both had in learning the surest ways to traverse the rooftops of the city.

It hadn't helped that there was some sort of glamour, some magic endowed by the kwami transformation that obscured their forms, even from one another. Plagg had been particularly ambiguous about what changes they could cause, so he truly only knew the changes in himself could be startling. He had spent long enough in the mirror transformed searching for some sort of hint in how to find his Lady.

Now that he was looking into her eyes, as closely as these periodic rescues would allow, he saw the similarities. Ladybug's eyes were the slightest bit more blue. Her hair the slightest bit darker than Marinette's.

But perhaps all that was a trick of the light.

Or something-perhaps Ladybug's own Kwami-was holding fast to the protection.

He had tried recording his voice, which made it a little different to detect than his normal voice. But he had read somewhere about how different his voice sounded.

Those little things left just enough room for doubt, leaving him to feel more than a little guilty. What if he was wrong? What if he was fostering these fickle feelings only to divide his attentions between Marinette and his Lady?

He was definitely starting to notice his feelings for Marinette were all to similar to those he had for his Lady. Whether or not he was lucky enough that they end up being the same person.

And really, he was never that lucky.

He wished she would stick around more often. That he could just sit and talk with her, to try to subtly prove the truth of the matter to himself. It wasn't like he could turn and spend the whole day watching her.

Not without being subject to a whole slew of questions from Alya during the day-and from Nino by phone later. At least, Nino would be a bit more considerate in keeping that particular inquisition quiet. At least, in front of others.

Ladybug hadn't wanted him to know, hadn't wanted him to press. But if he was right, both he and his Lady had a few too many close calls with these attacks.

If he was right, they could help each other out with alibis. They could contact each other with whereabouts of akuma attacks and not have to wonder desperately if relief was inbound.

They could date.

Heat rushed into his cheeks before he could try to put his modelling face on and mask his disquiet. Drawing his fingers into his hair, he tamed the locks, hoping it would draw attention away from his face. The Gorilla was all quiet with him, but that didn't mean he wasn't talking to Nathalie or his Father.

Besides, who even knew if Marinette might be interested?

Ladybug certainly hadn't been. She was all business, rarely willing to stick around for long after her miraculous cure was used.

But Marinette hadn't entirely pulled away from his rescues as Ladybug had. Maybe he had at least a little cause for hope.

Adrien was sure that the flush hadn't entirely left his cheeks as they pulled up outside of the school doors. But he could still claim the shoot was outdoors, leaving him with the slightest sunburn that the heavy layers of makeup and skincare products would allow.

It was a mercy that Plagg had slept much of the morning away, leaving him to his thoughts, otherwise he face would still be bright red and someone might see through his little white lie.

It was part of why he really did not want to ask Plagg for help in all of this. The Kwami's teasing was hardly bearable on a normal day. If Plagg ever figured out he had called things correctly that first day, there wasn't enough Camembert in Paris to swear him to silence on the matter.

* * *

Author's Notes:

This one is currently un-betaed.

Thank you all for your patience. I have been dealing with hospice and end of life care of a close family member that has run over the past month, so life got really, really hectic for me for a little while. I am now back and doing okay.

While I cannot claim any quick updates are likely, they hopefully won't be nearly so far apart from here on in. I seriously need more fluff in my life at the moment.


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